Dommer 8

1 Men Efraimiterne sagde til ham: "Hvorfor handler du således over for os, at du ikke kaldte os til, da du drog i Kamp mod Midjaniterne?" Og de gik stærkt i Rette med ham.

And the men of Ephraim said to him: What is this that thou meanest to do, that thou wouldst not call us when thou wentest to fight against Madian? and they chid him sharply and almost offered violence.

2 Men han svarede dem: "Hvad er min Dåd i Sammenligning med eders? Er ikke Efraims Efterhøst bedre end Abiezers Vinhøst?

And he answered them: What could I have done like to that which you have done? Is not one bunch of grapes of Ephraim better than the vintages of Abiezer?

3 I eders Hånd gav Gud Midjaniternes Høvdinger Oreb og Ze'eb, hvad har jeg formået i Sammenligning med eder?" Og da han talte således, lagde deres Vrede sig mod ham.

The Lord hath delivered into your bands the princes of Madian, Oreb and Zeb: what could I have done like to what you have done? And when he had said this, their spirit was appeased, with which they swelled against him.

4 Da Gideon nåede Jordan, gik han og de 300 Mand, der var med ham, over, udmattede og sultne.

And when Gedeon was come to the Jordan, he passed over it with the three hundred men, that were with him: who were so weary that they could not pursue after them that fled.

5 Han sagde da til Folkene i Sukkot: "Giv Folkene, der følger mig, nogle Brød, thi de er udmattede, og jeg er i Færd med at forfølge Midjaniterkongerne Zeba og Zalmunna!"

And he said to the men of Soccoth: Give, I beseech you, bread to the people that is with me, for they are faint: that we may pursue Zebee, and Salmana the kings of Madian.

6 Men Høvedsmændene i Sukkot svarede: "Har du allerede fået fat i Zeba og Zalmunna, siden vi skal give dine Folk Brød?"

The princes of Soccoth answered: Peradventure the palms of the hands of Zebee and Salmana are in thy hand, and therefore thou demandest that we should give bread to thy army.

7 Da sagde Gideon: "Til Gengæld skal jeg tærske eders Kroppe med Ørkentorne og Tidsler, når HERREN bar givet Zeba og Zalmunna i min Hånd!"

And he said to them: When the Lord therefore shall have delivered Zebee and Salmana into my hands, I will thresh your flesh with the thorns and briers of the desert.

8 Så drog han derfra til Penuel og sagde det samme til dem; og da Folkene i Penuel gav ham samme Svar som Folkene i Sukkot,

And going up from thence, he came to Phanuel: and he spoke the like things to the men of that place. And they also answered him, as the men of Soccoth had answered.

9 tiltalte han dem på lignende Måde og sagde: "Når jeg kommer uskadt tilbage, vil jeg nedbryde Borgen her!"

He said therefore to them also: When I shall return a conqueror in peace, I will destroy this tower.

10 Zeba og Zalmunna befandt sig imidlertid med deres Hær i Karkor, henved 15000 Mand; det var alle dem, der var tilbage af Østens Stammers, Hær; de faldne udgjorde 120000 våbenføre Mænd.

But Zebee and Salmana were resting with all their army. For fifteen thousand men were left of all the troops of the eastern people, and one hundred and twenty thousand warriors that drew the sword, were slain.

11 Og Gideon drog op ad Teltboernes Vej østen for Noba og Jogbeha og slog Hæren, der ikke anede Uråd.

And Gedeon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents, on the east of Nobe and Jegbaa, and smote the camp of the enemies, who were secure, and suspected no hurt.

12 Zeba og Zalmunna flygtede, men han satte efter dem og fangede de to Midjaniterkonger Zeba og Zalmunna og slog hele Hæren med Rædsel.

And Zebee and Salmana fled, and Gedeon pursued and took them, all their host being put in confusion.

13 Da Gideon, Joasjs Søn, vendte tilbage fra Kampen, fra Herespasset,

And returning from the battle before the sun rising,

14 fik han fat i en ung Mand fra Sukkot og spurgte ham ud, og den unge Mand skrev Navnene på Høvedsmændene og de Ældste i Sukkot op til ham, syv og halvfjerdsindstyve Mænd.

He took a boy of the men of Soccoth: and he asked him the names of the princes and ancients of Soccoth, and he described unto him seventy-seven men.

15 Så drog han til Folkene i Sukkot og sagde: "Se, her er Zeba og Zalmunna, som I hånede mig med, da I sagde: Har du allerede fået fat i Zeba og Zalmunna, siden vi skal give dine udmattede Mænd Brød?"

And he came to Soccoth and said to them: Behold Zebee and Salmana, concerning whom you upbraided me, saying: Peradventure the hands of Zebee and Salmana, are in thy hands, and therefore thou demandest that we should give bread to the men that are weary and faint.

16 Derpå greb han Byens Ældste, tog Ørkentorne og Tidsler og tærskede Folkene i Sukkot med dem;

So he took the ancients of the city and thorns and briers of the desert, and tore them with the same, and cut in pieces the men of Soccoth.

17 og Borgen i Penuel brød han ned og dræbte Folkene i Byen.

And he demolished the tower of Phanuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 Men til Zeba og Zalmunna sagde han: "Hvorledes var de Mænd, I ihjelslog ved Tabor?" De svarede: "De lignede dig, de så begge ud som Kongesønner!"

And he said to Zebee and Salmana: What manner of men were they whom you slew in Thabor? They answered: They were like thee, and one of them as the son of a king.

19 Da sagde han: "Mine Brødre, min Moders Sønner var det! Så sandt HERREN lever; havde I skånet deres Liv, havde jeg ikke slået eder ihjel!"

He answered them: They were my brethren, the sons of my mother. As the Lord liveth, if you had saved them, I would not kill you.

20 Derpå sagde han til sin førstefødte Søn Jeter: "Stå op og dræb dem!" Men den unge Mand drog ikke sit Sværd; han havde ikke Mod dertil, fordi han endnu var ung.

And he said to Jether his eldest son: Arise, and slay them. But he drew not his sword: for he was afraid, being but yet a boy.

21 Da sagde Zeba og Zalmunna: "Stå selv op og giv os Dødsstødet, thi som Manden således hans Styrke!" Så stod Gideon op og dræbte Zeba og Zalmunna. Og han tog de Halvmåner, deres Kameler havde om Halsen.

And Zebee and Salmana said: Do thou rise, and run upon us: because the strength of a man is according to his age: Gedeon rose up and slew Zebee and Salmana: and he took the ornaments and bosses, with which the necks of the camels of kings are wont to be adorned.

22 Derefter sagde Israelitterne til Gideon: "Vær vor Hersker, du selv og siden din Søn og din Sønnesøn, da du nu har frelst os af Midjaniternes Hånd!"

And all the men of Israel said to Gedeon: Rule thou over us and thy son, and thy son’s son: because thou hast delivered us from the hand of Madian.

23 Men Gideon svarede dem: "Hverken jeg eller min Søn vil herske over eder; HERREN skal herske over eder!"

And he said to them: I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you, but the Lord shall rule over you.

24 Derpå sagde Gideon til dem: "Jeg har noget at bede eder om: Enhver af eder skal give mig de Ringe, der findes mellem hans Bytte!" Hine havde nemlig Guldringe, thi de var Ismaeliter.

And he said to them: I desire one request of you: Give me the earlets of your spoils. For the Ismaelites were accustomed to wear golden earlets.

25 De svarede: "Ja, vi vil gerne give dig dem!" Så bredte han sin Kappe ud, og enhver af dem lagde de Ringe, der fandtes mellem hans Bytte, derpå.

They answered: We will give them most willingly. And spreading a mantle on the ground, they cast upon it the earlets of the spoils.

26 Vægten af Guldringene, som han havde bedt om, udgjorde 1700 Sekel Guld bortset fra Halvmånerne, Ørenringene og Purpurklæderne, som Midjaniterkongerne bar, og Kæderne på Kamelernes Halse.

And the weight of the earlets that he requested, was a thousand seven hundred sicles of gold, besides the ornaments, and jewels, and purple raiment which the kings of Madian were went to use, and besides the golden chains that were about the camels’ necks.

27 Gideon lavede deraf en Efod, som han gav Plads i sin Fødeby Ofra; og alle Israelitterne bolede med den, og den blev Gideon og hans Hus en Snare.

And Gedeon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city Ephra. And all Israel committed fornication with it, and it became a ruin to Gedeon and to all his house.

28 Således bukkede Midjaniterne under for Israelitterne, og de rejste sig ikke mere; og Landet havde Ro i fyrretyve År, så længe Gideon levede.

But Madian was humbled before the children of Israel, neither could they any more lift up their beads: but the land rested for forty years, while Gedeon presided.

29 Og Jerubba'al, Joasjs Søn, begav sig til sit Hjem og opholdt sig der.

So Jerobaal the son of Joas went, and dwelt in his own house.

30 Gideon havde halvfjerdsindstyve Sønner, der var avlede af ham, thi han havde mange Hustruer.

And he had seventy sons, who came out of his thigh, for he had many wives.

31 Han havde en Medhustru i Sikem; hun fødte ham en Søn, som han gav Navnet Abimelek.

And his concubine, that he had in Sichem, bore him a son, whose name was Abimelech.

32 Gideon, Joasjs Søn, døde i en høj Alder og blev jordet i sin Fader Abiezriten Joasjs Grav i Ofra.

And Gedeon the son of Joas died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father in Ephra of the family of Ezri.

33 Men da Gideon var død, gav Israelitterne sig atter til at bole med Ba'alerne og gjorde Ba'al-Berit til deres Gud;

But after Gedeon was dead, the children of Israel turned again, and committed fornication with Baalim. And they made a covenant with Baal, that he should be their god:

34 og Israelitterne kom ikke HERREN deres Gud i Hu, ham, som frelste dem fra alle deres Fjender, der omgav dem på alle Kanter.

And they remembered not the Lord their God, who delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies round about:

35 Og de handlede ikke vel mod Jerubba'als, Gideons, Hus, trods alt det gode, han havde gjort Israel.

Neither did they shew mercy to the house of Jerobaal Gedeon, according to all the good things he had done to Israel.